On Friday, barge shipping was halted on parts of the Illinois and
Mississippi Rivers as flooding prompted the US Army Corps of
Engineers to close several locks until at least the middle of next
week.

Seven Mississippi River locks were closed in total between Thursday
evening and Friday morning as water topped dams.

The problem is set to intensify, as crests on the rivers are
expected to be reached on Sunday at the earliest in more northern
areas and several days later further south.

River levels are expected to exceed flood stage by 12 feet (4
meters) in some parts of Missouri and Illinois, running the risk of
inundation, mass displacement of residents, and untold property
damage.

With Illinois thus far taking the brunt of the torrent, the city of
Quincy epitomized the continued threat, where the Mississippi rose
a “pretty amazing” 10 feet in 36 hours, National Weather
Service hydrologist Mark Fuchs told AP.

On the Illinois River – a principle tributary of the Mississippi
which cuts 273 miles through the Prairie State – nine barges broke
away from a tow in record floodwater late on Thursday and struck a
dam near the city of Marseilles.

Four of the barges sank and three, including one carrying caustic
soda, remained afloat, Ron Fournier, a spokesman for the Army
Corps' Rock Island district told Reuters.

Some 1,500 people in Marseilles were forced to evacuate amidst
fears the levee would breach following the barge incident. Around
500 people were also evacuated from the central Illinois town of
London Mills after waters the Spoon River overtopped a levee.

One of the cities two bridges was shut down on Friday, and the
sewage plant was risked being inundated.

With flooding shut down major expressways across northeast Illinois
on Thursday evening – submerging hundreds of roads and homes –
Governor Pat Quinn declared a state of emergency.

In the neighboring state of Indiana, the National Weather Service
said the Wabash River in northwestern Tippecanoe County could crest
at 25.5 feet (8 meters) on Saturday — its highest level in over
half a century.

On Friday, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon also declared a state of
emergency and activated the Missouri National Guard to in a bid to
stave off the flood waters.